i think they should be either full access to guns or no access to guns. if the server has weapons but restricts them so that its not possible to use them then its existence is gratuitous and shouldn't have them in the first place. problem with that is that people get bored if they're not constantly solving challenges like killing enemies so... yea
The idea I had way before was to keep stuff simple, make it so you can only get guns (Not buy, forget currency mods) from designated gun stores so long as you secure a gun license from the police station. Otherwise, any guns you have spawned are illegal and give cause to the police to raid your house, and it also means that any restricted guns could be given out in gang hideouts or other crime areas. The problem with this is that people usually don't want to take the extra steps to get legal guns, will always result to getting illegal guns and then half the server ends up walking around with an unlicensed firearm, outnumbering the police officers heavily enough that you have a law you can't enforce.
The challenge in the gameplay should come from crime, law and admin-run events, but that usually doesn't happen because running consistent events like that in blockland is like pulling teeth, especially when you have 30 people trying to do their own thing and a few choice idiots trying to ruin things with guns and bombs.
i agree with everything you said but i think that it's the main reason why rps don't do well. afterthought combat shouldn't exist, the game is either built around the guns or shouldnt be built at all. punishing people for a mechanic intentionally included is the main reason why all community/city rps i see are trash
Most people come to these kinds of servers for the cops 'n robbers, crime or gang stuff, and stay for the admin-run events and city building. Anyone actually here for the 'roleplay' aren't really good additions to the server because all they ultimately do is complain about how everyone else is here for something else, whine about being "RDM'd" and then leave.
The roleplay exists to serve the gameplay imo. People running groups like hospitals, mail delivery services or other mechanically useless stuff with no purpose other than to make up a cool story is what I consider good roleplay in this scenario.